Are there more disorders in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament?

Four teams have secured their tickets to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. And for the first time this March, a No. 1 seed was removed, as NC State headed home. While the plaster was kept on the River Walk Regional to establish a showdown between UConn’s No. 1 seed and Baylor’s second seed, the riots ruled in Mercado, where Indiana’s fourth seed and Arizona’s league will make the his first appearance in the Elite Eight.

With four more games to play for Sunday, which teams will join the Huskies, Lady Bears, Hoosiers and Wildcats? Is Oregon ripe to be bothered by Louisville’s No. 2 seed? What will follow for Iowa and Caitlin Clark, who were sent off for the day of the Huskies and Christyn Williams race? And we get a jump on what we can expect in the Baylor-UConn regional final on Monday (19:00 ET, ESPN / ESPN app).

Follow this link for Sunday’s NCAA Tournament Board Schedules and visit here to check out the Women’s Tournament parenthesis.

One match was for overtime. Two ended up in trouble. Which team impressed you the most on Saturday?

Flexible: It’s a boring answer, but I have to say UConn. Juniors Christyn Williams, Evina Westbrook and Olivia Nelson-Ododa really looked and played like leaders and leaders. Aaliyah Edwards was such a dominant presence inside the Huskies, he was 9 of 11 off the field by 18 points. And freshman teammate Paige Bueckers played a very controlled game, understanding how well everyone around her played. He didn’t try to do too many things or force things, and he showed great guard maturity, which has been the case during his first college season.

Arizona also stood out. Wildcats are known for their defense and ended up with what Troy and Iowa State were approaching but couldn’t finish doing.

But along with the defense that kept Texas A&M at 59 points, the Wildcats also did a decent job offensively. They took control with a 24-14 third quarter. Aari McDonald was brilliant with 31 points, but everyone around him also did their part.

Cream: Even with a 1-2 record on Saturday, the Big Ten remained impressive. Michigan brought Baylor, who has been one of the most dominant teams in the NCAA tournament, into overtime. The Wolverines dragged about twelve at the end of the second quarter, but they didn’t fade. Baylor maintains teams with 31.7% shooting; Michigan made 46%. The Wolverines continued to find open eyes against a typically closed defense. One or two more stops on defense and the Wolverines could have attracted the stunner.

Indiana entered the Sweet 16 with little sound. Now the Hoosiers are the first team to pull off a No. 1 seed. Their 73-70 win over NC State exemplified everything they’ve been through all season: balanced, disciplined, smart, and emaciated. The five starters scored in double figures. They spun the ball only nine times (until 5 p.m. NC State). Indiana picked up more rebounds and had more points in the paint than a higher Wolfpack team.

With control of the game for most of the second half, with an advantage of up to 13 in the fourth quarter, Indiana let NC State re-enter the game late. The lead was reduced to two, but senior starters Nicole Hillary-Cardano and Ali Patberg made the free throws needed in the final 21 seconds to place Indiana in the show’s first Elite Eight.

In November, Iowa was nowhere to be seen in the preseason rankings. With the bulk of the list, including Caitlin Clark and Monika Czinano, expected to return, where will Iowa begin in 2021-22?

Flexible: The Hawkeyes can definitely build from that; many games were left from Saturday’s game against UConn, but the Huskies had too many offensive weapons and too much defense.

Iowa native Caitlin Clark spent some time making her college decision. He could have gone to many places, but he missed the opportunity to do something important for a program just two hours from his hometown.

“The reason I came to Iowa is because I wanted to do something special,” Clark said. “I think more and more people are starting to do this route. I think it’s important, especially because it’s my home state, this is where I wanted to go. I know I’m in the right place. This season was really special. .

“I think for this team it’s just gotten out of here. So I know a lot of girls dream of going to all these blue bloods, but I think playing in your home state is really something special. … There was a true belief that one day we would make the Final Four. We didn’t say we would do it in my first year here. “

Cream: The beauty of watching a season evolve and take on a life of its own is a team like Iowa. Most people felt that Clark would be a first-year impact, but Iowa didn’t qualify in the preseason largely because Kathleen Doyle and Makenzie Meyer’s outings seemed too big a hole to fill. Clark changed that. It gave the game a new star and the Hawkeyes an immediate base.

With the return of much of the roster and Clark about to be a pivotal pillar for all Americans, there’s little chance the Hawkeyes will run out of any preseason rankings next season. In fact, they are poised to become one of the top four finishers next year and will start there in our first low-season bracketology.

Our group split into which team would win Sunday’s Oregon-Louisville game (7 p.m. ET, ESPN / ESPN app). What is the key to the match?

Cream: I think a lot of us chose Oregon based on Louisville’s slow starts so far in the NCAA tournament. Finally, that has to catch up with the Cardinals, right? Louisville fell 15-12 to Marist and 25-10 to Northwestern after the first quarter. Oregon was able to get a small early lead against Georgia in their second-round clash, but kept South Dakota up to eight points from the first quarter in the first round.

Therefore, the opening of ten minutes is the key to this match. There is no doubt that Louisville coach Jeff Walz has tackled the initial bad game with his team. Now we will see if the message resonates. Oregon may be too good for the Cardinals to climb another big hole.

Two transfers will also be the key for the Ducks. Sedona Prince, a 6-foot, 7-yarder who came from Texas, appears to have hit the tournament and handled Georgia’s size well with 22 points. Louisville offers a similar challenge with Elizabeth Dixon (6-5) and Olivia Cochran (6-3).

Taylor Mikesell, who came to Eugene from Maryland, will also play a huge role. A great shooter, Mikesell has had to handle the ball much later in the season with freshman goalkeeper Te-Hina Paopao with an injured foot. Against the Lady Bulldogs, he scored 11 points, defeated 2 of 4 3-point attempts and had just three losses in 34 minutes.

Louisville American Dana Evans has not played well this postseason, but she remains a skilled defender. If Mikesell can offer a similar game against Evans, Oregon’s chances of advancing will be even better.

Michigan, No. 6, brought Baylor into overtime. What did the Lady Bears learn from the close call that will help them head to the Elite Eight against UConn, a game that has been eagerly awaited from the National Team on Monday?

Cream: I was surprised that even though I needed the extra period, I never felt like the Lady Bears weren’t playing well. They fired 50% from the field. Aside from a free kick, NaLyssa Smith didn’t get the hang of it after 44 minutes. Baylor got major productions from Moon Ursin and DiJonai Carrington. This is a tribute to Michigan’s good performance.

The Wolverines were well prepared and executed their game plan to perfection. Leigha Brown (23 points, 7 rebounds), who was forced to stay more than 30 days due to COVID-19 protocols this season, seemed to get to the maximum, and it’s a shame she doesn’t have more games to play. play this season. The Wolverines deserve far more credit than Baylor deserves to be criticized.

But as the Lady Bears enter the showdown with UConn, it’s important to note that Baylor ranked in the top five nationally in all bounce categories and led the country on the rebound. Dominion was not there against Michigan. Although the lady’s bears outscored the Wolverines, it was only 37-32. More importantly, Baylor only had 15 second chance points. This is usually a basic element of the Lady Bears offense. They didn’t have to count on that and kept Michigan close.

Meanwhile, UConn completely dominated the cup against Iowa, 42-27, allowing only seven offensive rebounds by the Hawkeyes. Each game is different and takes on its own personality, but the Huskies have the staff, especially with Edwards playing a more important role (he had his third consecutive 18-point game against Iowa), to do even more than Michigan went do on the boards. , potentially eliminating what would have been perceived as a major Baylor advantage.

When the Lady Bears beat UConn 74-58 a year ago, they dominated the rebound numbers 44-26. If Baylor wants to become the fourth team to beat the Huskies three times in a row in the last 20 years (North Carolina, Notre Dame and Tennessee are the others), reclaiming that glass boast can be key.

Flexible: As Charlie said, there really wasn’t much wrong with Baylor – the Michigan-Baylor match was the best the two teams played on Saturday. It was really entertaining, and Baylor coach Kim Mulkey gave his Michigan counterpart Kim Barnes Arico many congratulations on the Wolverines’ toughness and good play, pushing Baylor to the overtime bell.

Baylor and UConn are so elitist in so many categories, including defending the percentage of field goals and rebounding. Both teams play high-level defense, which is why second-chance opportunities could be big because there won’t be many.